Greetings all,
As Year 22 Aquarius draws to a close, we must confess that we are filled with excitement for the dawning of Year 23! We feel that 23 Aquarius will be a pivotal year in the history of our Tradition and the wider Pagan movement as well!
One of the biggest reasons for this is the Ninth Convening of the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, 13-18 August Year 23 Aq. This is the Thirtieth Anniversary of the first modern Parliament of the World’s Religions, held in Chicago in 1993 AD, and the One Hundred and Thirtieth Anniversary of the First Parliament of the World’s Religions, held as part of the World Columbian Exhibition in Chicago in 1893 AD.
The first Parliament in 1893 was absolutely transformative and caused Hinduism, Buddhism, and other non-Judeo-Christian religions which had previously only had a small presence in the United States to explode in numbers and accelerated religious dialog and growth both among religions that were represented and even among many that were not.
The second Parliament in 1993 was also deeply transformative, and most especially for Modern Pagans. The Parliament sparked a renaissance in the Chicago Pagan Community that lasted for many years and led to the development of such important movements as Pagan Pride. This Parliament was equally transformative for the national and to some extent international Modern Pagan movement, with the experiences gained at the Parliament giving new energy to many organizations and individuals, not least our own Correllian Tradition. More than anything else it was the experiences of Ser Ed Hubbard at the Parliament and of Ser Ed and Rev Don Lewis in dealing with the subsequent, short-lived Pagan Host Committee that sparked the Correllian Great Expansion. In many ways, the energy we gained through this Parliament, buoyed by attendance at all subsequent Parliaments, has acted as rocket fuel for us ever since.
We are certain that this coming Parliament, located back in Chicago for the first time in thirty years, will be, if anything, even more transformational and empowering. Although we have not spoken as much about it in recent years, if you have been with us for a while, you may remember that the Correllian Tradition regards Chicago, notwithstanding all of the problems one expects to see in a major city, as a Holy City because of the unique nature of its energies and its prominent role in the religious history of North America, not least because of the Parliaments. The energy of Chicago is rather like a well-disguised lightning bolt -seemingly placid but in reality, dynamic and even explosive in character. The Parliament returning to Chicago is going to move everything in the religious world and our Modern Pagan world forward at breathtaking speed.
But for that breathtaking speed to take us where we want to go, we must be there and have a hand in it. Already we are well over halfway to our goal of having at least one hundred people in our Correllian Mission to the Parliament, and I believe that we will exceed that number. Why do we need to be there? Well, we cannot very well expect to have a seat at the table if we are not in the room. We need to be at the Parliament to show that Correllians and Modern Pagans in general are a serious and significant movement that deserves an equal place with other religions and an equal voice in the shaping of the future. We can only do this if we are there.
You can read more about our Correllian Mission to the Parliament on the front page of https://www.correllian.com
If you would like to help support our Correllian Mission to the Parliament, and we hope that you will, you can do so at https://www.correllian.com/parliament-project.html. We cannot do this without your support!
Moreover, time is on our side in a very literal sense. You may have read that the ‘Fluffy Bunny’ is a bit of a totem animal for our Correllian Tradition. Rabbit energy runs strongly through the past and present of our Tradition. The Correllian Tradition was founded in 1879 AD, which was a year of the Earth Rabbit. The Blv. Regent LaVeda, who in many ways ushered in the modern era of Correllianism and who wrote the first significant Correllian treatise, the Five Mystic Secrets, was born in a year of the Fire Rabbit. 2023 AD, Year 23 Aquarius, will be a Year of the Water Rabbit -the first since 1963 AD, the year in which both Rev. Don Lewis and Ser Ed Hubbard were born. This means that the energies of the Universe are very much moving in our favor in Year 23 Aquarius. It is a time for setting goals and beginning major projects because the Universe itself will help propel them forward.
Many other things are also happening this year, of course. This year’s Lustration of the Ancestors will be held on the weekend of April 21-23. Because so many of us are planning to attend the Parliament of the World's religions next year in August, the Lustration of the Ancestors will once again be a virtual event. It is expected that this will be the last solely virtual Lustration, with future Lustrations being hybrids. We are hoping to make this the largest and most global Lustration yet. Let's show the world our best ahead of Parliament!
PaganWorld.TV and PaganWorld.co are continuing to grow and expand. We hope that you are enjoying the many offerings of PaganWorld.TV, available on many platforms including Roku. As Year 23 goes forward these offerings will only increase with new and exciting programming to serve our Pagan community. If you are not already taking part in PaganWorld, we urge you to start now -don’t miss the fun, education, and community it offers!
Witch School will also see many exciting developments this year including many new classes currently under development. To borrow a phrase, Witch School is the gift that keeps on giving. Now in its twenty-first year of existence, Witch School will be here for many years to come and will only get better. And, for the first time in many years, we are again offering Lifetime Memberships that really do last a lifetime. If you would like a Witch School Lifetime Membership for yourself or perhaps as a gift for another, you can get one at https://witchschool.com/subscriptions
And finally, watch for many new books coming from https://correllianpublishing.com. First off the bat, launching New Year’s Eve is the return of Rev. Don’s Super-Omnibus of Incantations and Invocations for All Occasions by Rev. Don Lewis and Ser MaryAnn Kay. The Super-Ominbus was released in a downloadable form many years ago but has been long unavailable. Now, it is returning as an actual book. A collectible, limited-edition version of the Super-Omnibus Omnibus is being made available as a Kickstarter #Make100. Limited to just one hundred and seventy-five copies this hardcover first edition of the Super-Omnibus as a book will be signed, dated, and numbered by Rev. Don Lewis. Don’t miss your chance to get this collectible volume at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/revdonlewis/rev-dons-super-omnibus-make100?fbclid=IwAR3rPad7e3b8NcRHPHRobaARregbp59H-gHk7VllTdBs1KhQLFbdfDA-kZ4
All in all an exciting year and an exciting time to be alive! We look forward to sharing this adventure together!
Blessings to all,
M. Rev. Donald Lewis-Highcorrell
First Priest and Chancellor, Correllian Tradition
Vox Correllianus, Apu Tanglaw Liwanag, Member Triad Union
M. Rev. Stephanie Leon Neal
First Priestess, Correllian Tradition
Vox Correlliana
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